Learn by Doing – Conditional Probability and the General Multiplication Rule

An overheating engine can quickly cause serious damage to a car, and therefore a dashboard red warning light is supposed to come on if that happens.

In a certain model car, there is a 3% chance that the engine will overheat (event H).

The probability of the warning light showing up (event W) when it should (i.e., when the engine is really overheating) is 0.98. However, 1% of the time the warning light appears for no apparent reason (i.e., when the engine temperature is normal).

Avoid browsing posts using the older/newer post links, this can take you to irrelevant content.

This material was adapted from the Carnegie Mellon University open learning statistics course available at http://oli.cmu.edu and is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Other materials used in this project are referenced when they appear.

If you have found these materials helpful, DONATE by clicking on the "MAKE A GIFT" link below or at the top of the page! The Department of Biostatistics will use funds generated by this Educational Enhancement Fund specifically towards biostatistics education.

Together we discover. Together we teach.Together we care for our patients and our communities.Together we create unstoppable momentum.